Dauntless
by JackieLupin
Summary: Chapter 12 is up! Snippets of the relationship between Sakura and various pairings!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: "Dauntless"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Kakashi and Sakura.**

**I don't belong to any forum with drabble ideas, so I asked my sister to write down a couple of random words for me. So voila, here they are!**

**Ear**

There were explicit rules against this kind of thing; students and teachers weren't meant to be together, not in this sense, anyway, but Sakura was having trouble remembering this shinobi rule of conduct as Kakashi's skilled hands gently brushed her pink hair away from her face, exposing an ear that immediately drew his hot, soft lips to it.

**Hands**

His hands may be large and calloused and may have borne the blood of hundreds, but they are always warm and gentle against her bare skin.

**Tears**

With Kakashi, there is no need for tears; he goes out of his way to make her feel welcome, from moving all of her furniture from her apartment into his own without her being aware of it to giving up a spare drawer and mirror for her clothes.

**Bathrobe**

His gray, wool bathrobe always hung on the hook to the left of Sakura's pale green one.

**Mud**

There was one afternoon when, after he insulted her poor precision in senbon training, Sakura finally lost her patience with Kakashi's sometimes aloof behavior and sent a pile of mud at his face. Sasuke and Naruto were there to witness the event, and soon, all of Konoha's shinobi population had heard about the incident because the mud actually managed to hit the Copy ninja's face.

**Season**

It had been exactly five summers since Naruto was made Hokage, but it was also their anniversary of finally breaking the rules and moving in together. "Screw Konoha," she had giggled as he slammed the door behind her and immediately drew her into his embrace.

**Yield**

"I yield," he teased huskily, holding her tightly against him, "Have your wicked way with me, love."

**Tomorrow **

There was never a tomorrow for shinobi, especially not as the Godaime's Apprentice or the legendary Copy Ninja, so "tomorrow" was a subject that Kakashi and Sakura never mentioned. But they hoped for it nevertheless.

**Marry **

He never actually came out and asked her to marry him; he merely took her answer for granted and sent of invitations to the wedding before Sakura had any idea what was going on. However, she found that that alone was romantic, in its own way.

**Coffee**

She found it odd that he took his coffee black, while hers was the complete opposite, with lots of cream and sugar. He had laughed at her observation and said, "At least we'll never confuse our coffee."

**Sound**

The steady sound of his heartbeat at night is the only thing that can calm Sakura down after a traumatic shift at the hospital.

**The end!**

**This was a nice change from my little one-shots. I'm actually working on a full length story right now, entitled "The Mission From Hell" but since the SATs and my AP tests are on the horizon, school is eating up all of my free time. The first chapter is done, but I don't want to release it just yet. Just a little while longer, I promise!**

**Thanks to all of you Narutards who have stuck with me! You will be rewarded!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: "Dauntless"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Kakashi and Sakura.**

**Some more random words!**

**-**

**Flick**

A favorite past-time of Kakashi's - in public, anyway - was to gently **flick** her ear. Sakura, who had been shellshocked the first time the normally calm Kakashi had resorted to teasing her, now was used to it. It was such a familiar sight by now that most of the Konoha shinobi population smiled when they saw Kakashi, sometimes completely out of the blue, lean over to flick his wife's ear and laughed when she grumbled but allowed him to do it anyway.

**Christmas**

Their first **Christmas** together was a disaster. Kakashi was gone on a mission, so Naruto and Sasuke took it upon themselves to "cheer her up." What Sakura didn't know at the time was that entailed booze and a huge party. By the time Kakashi returned in the early morning, the apartment was a mess and the three members of the old Team 7 were unconscious on the floor.

**Naughty **

"You and your **naughty** books, Kakashi!" Sakura scowled, her hands on her hips as he blatantly ignored her. "You'd think that by now you wouldn't have to read those anymore!"

"They're informative," he said cooly, flipping the page over.

Sakura turned very red. "T-Then...last night was..."

Kakashi sighed, set Icha Icha Paradise on the coffee table, then walked over to where Sakura stood and gently wrapped his arms around her. "You know that Icha Icha doesn't hold a candle to you," he murmured, pressing a masked kiss to her cheek, "And besides, last night _was_ amazing."

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, embarrassed, "So Icha Icha gave you that idea?"

"No," Kakashi admitted, tugging down his mask to reveal his grin, "Imagining _you_ in Icha Icha gave me that idea."

**Beautiful**

Kakashi, in their first five years of marriage, had never once called her beautiful. Sakura didn't mind, because she knew he loved her, and he wasn't a gushy romantic anyway. But after Sakura had labored for twelve hours and given birth to his son, he had walked over to where she was laying down with their new baby boy, kissed her forehead, looked into her eyes and said that she was the most **beautiful** woman he had ever met.

**Choose **

Kakashi would like to forget about this small bump in their relationship, but Sakura never could, because a childhood dream had died with it. After Sasuke had been reinstated in Konoha, he had approached her; he asked her to **choose**, between him and Kakashi. Sakura was so shocked she was speechless, but that answered it for her, for Sasuke smiled slightly and hugged her. "Go get him," he whispered.

**Smell **

He liked to tease her when Sakura returned from a mission with Sasuke, Naruto and Sai that she **smelled**; however, whenever Sakura slammed her way into the bathroom and attempted to rid herself of the "smell," Kakashi would always join her in the shower and gently wash her body. "You smell bad when you don't smell like me," he smiled, and she would always forgive him.

**Tickle **

The man could kill shinobi with a flick of his hand, could walk on water, easily evade attacks even while reading, but the one weakness he had was that he was **ticklish**, something that another shinobi would never have guessed from the Copy Ninja's public demeanor. Sakura had only accidentally discovered this fact when she had touched the bottom of his feet and got a nose bleed for her trouble. Kakashi had apologized profusely, but Sakura was laughing, for she had found a way to get him back.

**Dancing **

The seventh Christmas that Kakashi and Sakura shared with their son, Botan, was by far the best. Botan, who was a spitting image of Kakashi, had woken his parents up around three in the morning by jumping up and down and **dancing** on their bed anxiously. "Mom, Dad," he whispered, shaking his still-sleeping father roughly, "C'mon, get up you lazy butts!"

Sakura smiled and grabbed Botan, dragging him back under the covers with her. "You little rascal," she teased after a few long, quiet moments, kissing the top of his silvery head, "Go back to bed, and I promise your father and I will get up soon."

Botan was already dozing off, and answered her with a sleepy nod. Sakura sighed, giggling, and looked over to her other side as Kakashi sat up to look down at her. "Morning, love," he yawned, ruffling Botan's hair and wrapping one arm around his wife before he too went back to sleep.

**-**

**Author's Note: I decided to do another one-shot to "Dauntless," and since this was so fun, I'll probably be doing more, with different pairings! If you have any other suggestions, let me know!**

**And I dedicate Botan (his name means "long life") to Ravenseye131! Thanks for the idea!**

**-Jackie**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: "Dauntless Part III"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: This time, the pairing is Kiba and Sakura, because it's just so cute and there aren't enough out there! Enjoy!**

**-**

**Snag**

Every relationship has a little **snag**, a little bump in the road that at the time is the end of the world, but with hindsight the snag is actually remembered with laughter. Kiba thought the snag in his relationship with Sakura was when they found out she was allergic to dogs, but Sakura believed that their snag was when he had conveniently screwed up a mission they went on together and she got landed with the blame.

**Rip**

Kiba is so impatient at times when he caresses her body that he **rips** her clothing in his haste to remove it. Sakura instead makes sure she only wears underwear and a bra to bed now, for so many of her favorite shirts were left beyond repair after each nighttime romp.

**Time**

"Isn't it **time** to go?" Kiba asked her as he pulled on his jacket and tied his hitai-ate around his forehead.

Sakura smiled, plopping down on their bed to lace up her boots. "Ten minutes. But we need to pick up the drinks on the way to Neji's."

"Is Naruto going to be at the party?"

"I doubt it. I told him that if he went and you two got so drunk that you thought you could win a spar against Neji, _again_, that I would teach you _both_ a lesson the next time we train together."

Kiba groaned. "Sakura! I _almost_ beat Neji!"

Sakura got to her feet and walked over to him. She gently kissed his cheek, then muttered as she left their bedroom, "You just go ahead and think that, darling."

**Present**

Naruto was **present** at Neji's party anyway, despite Sakura's threats of bodily harm. Kiba could only hang onto his girlfriend as the determined pink-haired kunoichi tried to go after her teammate and friend, but he was smiling.

**Ceremony**

The first outing that Sakura and Kiba went to as a couple was Naruto's induction **ceremony** into ANBU. Although it was a "shinobi-only" affair, formal clothing was required. She would always remember that night; her dress was a deep burgundy that Ino had helped her pick out, and Kiba couldn't take his eyes off of her.

**Friend**

"I can't be your **friend** anymore," Kiba whispered harshly into her ear, his breath hot against her cheek, "Kami, every time I see you..."

"K-Kiba," Sakura said weakly, trying to push him away, "We can't do this anymore..."

"Damn right we can't. We can't do this "just friends" thing anymore. I love you, Sakura, and I'm not going to let you get away from me again!"

**Absence **

Everyone says that **absence** makes the heart fonder. When Sakura returned from her month long mission in Suna, she and Kiba had spent one entire week in their apartment "making up" for lost time. When that week was over, they had received nine letters of complaint from their neighbors about the "noises" coming from their apartment.

Ten years later, that "event" was still remembered fondly, with a blush from Sakura and roughish wink from Kiba that always sent their friends into peals of laughter.

**Fire**

There was a **fire** at their apartment one night while Kiba was out on a mission with Naruto. When he came home, he found a shocked Sakura camped out on Ino's living room floor. The first thing he did was take her in his arms and kiss her as she began to cry her apologies; Kiba only hoped that that kiss could tell her how happy he was she was safe.

**Smirk**

Naruto had a cheerful, carefree grin, while Shikamaru had a sly smile. Neji had a small smile when he was actually pleased, and Kakashi smiled but no one could see it anyway. Sai's smile was still fake, and Chouji's and Lee's were wide and contagious. But Kiba had a **smirk**, one that said, "I know my presence affects you, and I know I can make you forget your name when I kiss you." It was the kind of smirk that Sakura loved and hated, but he wouldn't be Kiba without it.

**Hesitate**

Sakura had **hesitated** too long during a battle with Sound shinobi, and the kunai headed her way buried itself hilt-deep inside her thigh. At his mate's cry of pain, Kiba and the now gigantic Akamaru had single-handedly defeated all twelve Sound nins, something that Naruto challenged later when they were all safe and sound at Ichiraku. Whenever that particular story was told, Kiba would always frown and his arm would hook onto Sakura possessively; he hated being reminded of the time he had nearly lost her.

Sakura knew that was his way of showing he loved her.

**End**

"Happily ever after?" Sakura giggled softly, kissing his forehead gently and tracing his fang tattoo on his cheek lovingly.

"Nope," Kiba grinned, leaning up to capture her lips with his, "Happily ever after means an **end** to the story. Ours, darlin', isn't gonna be over for a long time."

-

**A/N: Gah, this was so much fun to write! I love the different aspects of each "relationship" between the different pairings! Kiba is just an adorable guy, from his sometimes jerky overconfidence and rude manner, but we all know he's a pretty caring guy!**

**Thanks again to all of those who're sticking with "Dauntless!" I'm thinking of some Neji/Sakura next? Again, if you have any requests, please, let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: "Dauntless IV"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: Some Neji / Sakura this time!**

**-**

**Arrogant**

Sakura wouldn't call Neji arrogant, per say... just... sure of himself. Confident. Yeah, that's the word!

**Spar**

Neji believed that sparring with Sakura was a good way to increase her self esteem. However, Sakura always left dejected and frustrated despite Neji's gentle teasing and encouragement. It wasn't until she finally broke down and told him that he was just too advanced for her that he realized that the "practice" was only hurting her.

Neji spent the next day at the florists, and when Sakura arrived home from her shift at the hospital, she found the bedroom filled with beautiful lilies and sparring sessions arranged with Naruto, much to the blond's dismay.

**Arguments**

They fought all of the time. There were petty **arguments, **and then there were the big ones, where Neji and Sakura wouldn't speak for a week. However, their fights never lasted longer than that. And unsurprisingly, Neji was always the one who would cave in first and apologize.

**Leave**

"**Leave**, Neji," she whispered quietly to the shocked man standing in front of her. "Please."

"Sakura..." Neji began softly, gently reaching out to wipe the remainder of her tears from her cheek, "I'm sorry-"

"I know!" she interrupted, closing her eyes and turning away from him, "Please, not tonight."

His gaze lingered on her back for many moments, and just when Sakura was about to turn around and apologize, Neji sighed and walked off of her porch into the evening rain. "Dammit," she cried.

The rain came down harder to spite her.

**Scared**

"I'm **scared** you'll leave me," Sakura explained calmly, as if she were talking about the weather, but Neji could see the fear and anxiety in her perceptive green eyes as she pointedly looked at everything but him.

"You know I won't," he replied gruffly, his eyes unable to look away from hers. "Kami, Sakura, you know I won't."

**Pocket**

One day when Sakura and Neji were practicing with shuriken, since a full-on training session wasn't allowed, something fell out of Neji's **pocket** without him realizing it. When Sakura picked it up and discovered what it was, she froze.

"Sakura, what-" Neji began, then saw what she was holding and went quiet.

"I-Is this..."

Neji sighed, wiping his hands on his pants. Taking the small velvet box from her hands and kneeling on the ground in front of her, he said, "Well, I was going to wait until tonight, but... will you marry me?"

**Market**

"Oi, Neji!" Naruto called over to the Hyuuga while Neji was picking up groceries in the **market**, "Where's Sakura-chan?"

"Home," he replied, picking up a package of cheese and adding it to his bag.

Naruto frowned, peering over his shoulder at Neji's list of needed food items and recipe tips written in Sakura's neat handwriting. "Ah," he said finally, laughing, "It's your turn to cook, isn't it?"

**Nick**

"It's only a **nick**," Neji explained with a smile as he watched Sakura run to the cabinet at the hospital and hurriedly rip open the lid to her supplies.

"Neji, a nick to you is a_ wound_ to me!" she growled out, grabbing the bandages and salve in her hands before ripping his shirt away from his chest to inspect the damage. "Honestly, the medics here know better than to listen to you! Do you know how many times you've lied about how badly wounded you've been?! It's all your over-inflated ego's fault!" She cleaned out the cut gently, then used her chakra to quickly sew up the muscle and skin until all that remained was a red scratch.

With a gasp of surprise, Sakura suddenly found herself pinned against Neji as his strong arms acted like a vice that pressed her body to his. "Sakura," he said, though he was still smiling, "Shut up." And then he kissed her, and Sakura soon forgot about his injury.

-

**So yeah. The Neji and Sakura installment! Up next is Naruto and Sakura! Thanks for the request, Gnosismaster! And after that will be a Sai/Sakura for TheQueenofGeeks! I'd also like to thank everyone who has reviewed! (JiraiyasGirl, Ravenseye131, Gnosismaster, TheQueenofGeeks, Fairy Of Anime) You rock guys!**

**You can request a pairing I've already done, too! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: "Dauntless V"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: Naruto and Sakura this time!**

**-**

**Ache**

There are times when that particular "believe it" smile of Naruto's makes Sakura's heart **ache. **

**Puzzle**

Give Naruto a **puzzle** to solve without the proper motivation, and it would take weeks. But tease Naruto with ramen for encouragement, and it would be done within the hour by a plethora of Kage Bunshins.

**Copy**

The first time Naruto was late to an ANBU information meeting, he had learned his lesson. Sakura wouldn't speak to him for the night, and Naruto was forced to sleep on the couch in the living room. The second time he _knew_ he was going to be late, he sent his **copy**; a Kage Bunshin. The only downfall to his brilliant plan was that since Sakura had spent so much time training with him, she could recognize a clone from a mile away. He had gotten a harsh training session courtesy of Sakura the following day and "no bed" for an entire week, just the old couch.

**Heroics**

"No **heroics** on this mission," Sakura told Naruto on his first solo-mission, her hands planted on her hips, face stern, "Got it, Naruto? If you don't come back, I'll drag your ass all the way back here and kill you myself."

**Breakfast**

The two would always eat **breakfast** in silence. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite, but since both Naruto and Sakura definitely weren't "morning people," it was much better this way. "A companionable silence," Naruto called it, which earned him a smile from the pink-haired kunoichi.

**Scheme**

Sakura hung up her lab coat on the hook and kicked off her shoes. "Naruto?" she called, "I'm home!'

But when there wasn't an answer from her boyfriend, Sakura grew apprehensive. _What is he up to now?_ she thought wearily. She poked her head into the kitchen, but Naruto wasn't there. The living room was empty, too. Just when Sakura was about to give up the search, she heard laughter from the basement.

"What're you **scheming** now?" she asked a startled Naruto, Kiba and Sasuke as she flung the door open.

**Run**

"Naruto, **run**!" Sakura cried, flinging a shinobi away from her with one tap of her chakra-powered fist. "Tell the others to get the hell out of here! We need to retreat!" She launched herself into a series of attacks as the next enemy rose up to engage her in combat.

"Not without you!" Naruto yelled back, angrily shoving the Stone-nin away from her and grabbing her arm, "We _all_ leave in one peace."

**Wish**

"You know what I **wish**?" Naruto asked her one night as they lay in bed.

"What?" Sakura murmured sleepily, nuzzling her nose against his neck, "To become Hokage?"

"No," he replied, and the seriousness in his voice shocked her. "Naruto, what is it?"

"I wish that ramen was made a mandatory part of the food pyramid."

"You baka!"

**Key**

It was their second mission in the ANBU squad consisting of herself, Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji. And it just so happened that Naruto lost the decoder **key** to the scroll in the middle of the forest. They had spent the next _week_ searching for it, even with Neji's byakugan. By the time they had returned home, _all_ of Konoha knew about it. Sakura blamed Ino for that.

**-**

**Just another cute series of sentences, this time featuring Naruto and Sakura! This is my third favorite pairing, but also the most plausible pairing out there!**

**Enjoy!**

**-Jackie**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: "Dauntless VI"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: And now, time for Sai and Sakura!**

**-**

**Art**

Sai was known throughout Konoha for his jutsu that incorporated his skills in **art**. A flying dragon? Sai's work. Thousands of tiny birds hunting in the sky? Sai's work. But Sakura didn't see that as what made Sai. It was the sketch she found one morning of herself, Sai, Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato, all eating together. And on every face in the sketch was a genuine smile. Even Sai.

**Shell**

When Sakura had first invited Sai over to her apartment after he had been made a permanent member of Team 7, the artist had been enraptured by the small bowl of **shells** Sakura had collected during a mission to Wave Country with Naruto and Rock Lee.

"What is this?" Sai had asked her, picking it up and inspecting the pink shell with gentle hands.

"It's a shell," Sakura had replied with a smile, "That's my favorite one! I got it from the ocean."

"May I... may I borrow it?" Sai asked.

Sakura frowned. "For what?"

"I want to paint it," he told her, eyes glued to it, "It's beautiful, and I want to have it for myself as a painting."

**Trunk**

Sai kept a trunk at the foot of their bed. It held various scrolls of sealing and ink creations, as well as an assortment of half-finished canvases. Sakura had given it to Sai one year after he had made a mess of their apartment during her mission- now, there could be no ink stains or canvases lying around for someone to trip on!

**Pillow**

Sai, having grown up in an emotionless environment, did not know many of the games that normal children grew up with. So, one night when Sai and Sakura invited Naruto and Kiba over to watch movies, the three Konoha shinobi ganged up on the poor artist with a rousing **pillow** fight.

**Book**

In the past, Sai used to rely on **books** to tell him how to interact with other people. Now Sakura is that book.

**Ornament**

Sakura cried happily when Sai had made her a Christmas present. Her present was a small dove **ornament** for her Christmas tree, hand crafted by Sai and beautifully painted.

**Joke**

"Sakura, how can you **joke** at a time like this?" Sai asked despondently, feeling very much like a deer being stalked by an angry lion, albeit a dying one, "You're very ill! Should I send for Tsunade-sama? I swear hag, if you die-"

Sakura groaned, coughing weakly into a tissue. "Sai," she moaned, "Shut up, I'm not dying! It's just a cold!" Secretly, though, she was touched by his concern.

**Fog**

That morning, the **fog** made it nearly impossible to see. Despite Sai's claims as an ANBU shinobi, he had walked head on into Sakura, who had unexpectedly stopped in front of him, and the two ended up falling into the dirt in a heap. Sai later said he had meant to do it. Sakura knew better.

**Rough**

Although Sai was an ex-ANBU Root shinobi, his hands were not **rough** or calloused; instead, they were smooth and soft. The hands of an artist.

-

**And voila! This chapter is dedicated to The Queen of Geeks! I hope you liked it!**

**For everyone also following "The Mission From Hell," the next chapter should be out in two or three days! The first draft is done, so I'm just going to go over and edit it before I release it! The drama is heating up between Sasuke and Sakura too!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: "Dauntless"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Sakura and Deidara for Gothic Petals!**

**-**

**Impossible**

Their relationship was **impossible**; they were enemies, and no one would ever accept them as a couple. But Sakura loved him and Deidara risked his entire world for her, so it didn't matter what the others would say about them if they knew. It only mattered that they had each other.

**Danger**

Deidara lived on the edge, reveled in **danger** and delighted in the consequences that came with it. Sakura was his opposite; she was careful and attentive, with a plan always in action. They clashed at times, but then, opposites do more than attract- they meld together and fit like pieces of a puzzle.

**Anger**

The first time they had met, sparks had flown. The second time they met in battle, Sakura was **angry** enough that she managed to slice his arm open. The third time they met, Deidara managed to knock her out, but her teammate came to her rescue. The fourth time they met, the ex-Stone shinobi took her back to Akatsuki with him. The fifth time Sakura had laid her eyes on the blond member of that dangerous organization, it had ended with his entire left femur splintering into thousands of pieces due to her chakra attack. The sixth time they were in the same room together, he grabbed her and kissed her. The seventh time Sakura and Deidara had a conversation, she kissed him back.

**Charm**

_There is no doubt about it_, Sakura thought as she watched him saunter into her bedroom, those predatory blue eyes fixed on hers, _He has _**charm**.

**Tackle**

With an _oomph_, Sakura landed on the bed, a heavy weight resting on top of her. "Was that necessary?" she wheezed, glaring up into his cobalt eyes angrily.

"What?" Deidara asked innocently, a wicked grin tugging at his lips, "**Tackling** you? Yes, very necessary."

**Dawn**

"So... Akatsuki is all about a **dawn** right, as in a new beginning?" Sakura asked Deidara tentatively her second day at the Akatsuki base, not wanting to offend or anger him with her curiosity. But if she was going to be kept here against her will by an infuriating host, she might as well try and gather as much information as possible.

To her surprise, however, her captor merely glanced over at her. "Yeah," he said disinterestedly, "Yeah, that it does."

**Missing**

"Where were you?!" he roared angrily, ripping off his cloak and flinging it to the floor as forcefully as he could, "You were **missing** for days!"

Sakura scowled at him darkly. "I was not missing," she replied icily, "Your teammate Hidan thought it would be hilarious to try and use me for a sacrifice."

If that was meant to appease the blond Akatsuki, Sakura was mistaken. However, his anger towards her faded as his attention turned to Hidan. With a sigh, he touched her hair and rubbed it through his fingers tenderly. "Remind me to dismember him later, yeah," Deidara murmured quietly, then leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead.

**Dead**

"It's better this way," Sakura whispered into his shoulder hoarsely, "If Konoha thinks I'm **dead**, then we don't have to worry anymore." Despite her reasoning, tears still leaked out from between her tightly-shut eyes and stained his cloak.

"Shh," Deidara whispered soothingly, resting his head on top of hers, "You still have me, yeah. We'll be fine."

-

A/N- **That was a lot of fun! Kishimoto's characters are so multi-faceted... it makes our job as fanfiction writers so much easier and imaginative! Next up (I believe) is Shino and Sakura for Fairy of Anime!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: "DauntlessVII"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Sakura and Shino, for Fairy of Anime.**

**-**

**Musical**

Shino wasn't **musical**. Sakura often joked that he didn't have a musical bone in his body, but the crickets that he could call over in the middle of the night provided all the music that she wanted.

**Control**

Sakura was a woman who needed **control.** Shino was a man content to merely be loved and needed, since understanding and acceptance for him was few and far in between.

**Entertain**

Shino smiled secretively behind his glasses at her exasperated sigh halfway through the drudgery of one of the many ANBU orientation meetings. "I have ways to entertain you," he offered silkily.

Sakura blushed, quickly glancing around at her neighbors to see if they noticed the hand that had crept up her leg underneath the table. "I don't think now is the time for that, love."

**Sneaky**

Sakura frowned and leaned across the table to view the living-room. She had thought she heard a rustle of clothing... With a sigh, she closed her book and shut her eyes, but this was just a show. Every inch of her body was tuned in and alert, ready for whatever came next.

A hand touched her cheek, and Sakura jumped up and grabbed the offender's arm and yanked it behind his back.

"Sakura, why are you so jumpy?" she heard Shino ask in amusement.

She released his arm with a growl. "Why do you have to be so **sneaky** all of the time?"

**Circle**

Sometimes it felt that their relationship was going in **circles;** one week was a normal one, where they would spend more and more time together, learn new things about each other. But then the other circle was when they went on missions. That set them back, for when either of them came home, the greeting was awkward for a few moments before they warmed up to each other again. Sakura knew that she and Shino had to work hard to stay together, but for every step forward they made, they went two steps back with any prolonged absence.

**Noble**

"You're very **noble**_**, **_you know?" Sakura giggled as she grabbed his hand and grasped it tightly in hers.

He snorted. "I guess," he said in his normal, nonchalant tone of voice.

"Really, it's true! I mean, giving up your paycheck so Naruto can buy all the kunai he lost on that mission? Very noble."

Shino sighed, then grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, nuzzling his face against her neck. "Sure. But I won't be noble with you. Actually, now it's time for your punishment."

Sakura only laughed. "Shino, your idea of punishment is warped. If I like what you do to me, then how can it be punishment?"

She only received a small grin in return.

"You'll see."

**Transparent**

To Shino, Sakura had always been **transparent.** When she was only a genin, he hadn't felt the need to take much notice of her. Only her pink her caught his attention. When Sakura progressed to chuunin, though, was when he had first really saw her. She was laughing with Kiba, his teammate, and for a moment, something hard and ugly burned in his chest. Jealousy. And when he heard the rumors of her triumph over Sasori of the Sand, he knew he had to have her.

What Shino didn't know was that even behind his glasses and high-collared cloak, he was transparent too.

**Distort**

"Your fling with Shino is really **distorted**," Shikamaru told her lazily, one arm underneath his head to prop it up, "Most of us don't know what the hell is going on."

Sakura scowled. "Just because Shino and I are _dating_ doesn't mean that everyone has to know the minor details!"

He only chuckled. "You know Ino. She wanted me to ask."

**Neglect**

His heart stopped in his chest at the sight that greeted him.

She was packing her bags... the drawers in the dresser they shared were methodically being emptied and cleaned. Only his things remained...

"Sakura..." he managed to whisper hoarsely, "What are you..."

The kunoichi tensed, only just realizing that Shino was right behind her. After a few long moments, she turned around to face him, even though she couldn't meet his dark eyes. "I'm tired of being **neglected**. And I know you are too. We're better off as just friends, Shino."

Something inside of him broke as she left. But from her tear-stained cheeks, he knew it broke inside of her as well.

**-**

**Here we are, Shino and Sakura! This wasn't easy to write, because although I wanted Shino to stay as much in-character as possible, I don't really know that much about him. I hope you like it though!**

**Up next is... Sakura and Hidan for Gothic Petals!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: "Dauntless"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Sakura and Hidan for Gothic Petals. Enjoy!**

**-**

**Family**

"Don't you have a **family**?"

He tensed at her question, and mentally Sakura asked herself if she had just opened up a can of worms better left alone. But when Hidan turned to look at her in confusion, she could only stare back at his pale pink eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

**Stir**

"You." Hidan grabbed her and spun her around roughly. "You make me feel all of these things that I'm not fucking supposed to! Y-You make me _want_ to leave Akatsuki, _want _to break my pact with Lord Jashin just to fucking make you happy! You've **stirred** these feelings up in me and I just can't handle it anymore! I have to have you all to myself! You're fucking mine!"

Sakura just grinned that innocent grin of hers that she knew drove him wild. "You know," she murmured throatily, nuzzling his chin with her nose, "All you had to do was ask!"

**Option**

_Failure is not an __**option**_, Sakura had been told over and over again until it ran like a mantra through her head at the thought of Konoha. _In this case, if you fail, you die, and we'll lose you forever. _With Hidan now arriving at the Akatsuki base, however, her mission was finally going to be complete. As soon as she somehow killed him, she could head back to the safe haven that was Konoha.

If someone had told her she would one day fall in love with the enemy, Sakura probably would have frowned and asked if they needed therapy of some kind.

But that was before Hidan, and before their love affair.

In the end, she could not bring herself to kill him.

**Precaution**

"Shh, relax baby," he whispered in her ear as comfortingly as he could manage as the coarse blindfold was settled around her eyes, effectively cutting off her sight.

Sakura was tensed, ready to fight. She relied on her sight a lot as a shinobi, and right now, she wished she wasn't so dependent on it. But there was nothing she could do now.

"It's just a **precaution**, that we blindfold all hostages before we bring them into our headquarters."

She scoffed at his words. "I'm still just a hostage, huh?" That had wounded her more deeply than all of his previous barbs combined.

He didn't answer her.

**Theory**

"I have a **theory**."

"Mmm?"

"You love me."

"NANI?! Y-You murder and torture innocent people for _fun_!"

"Lord Jashin commands it."

"Well, command THIS!"

_Boom._

"Damn, you broke my fucking nose!" A couple of pained gasps, then, "That's hot."

"You ass!"

"I know. I have one, but so do you!"

A rather feminine growl. "That's not what I meant!"

**Prejudice**

They were playing shogi on Hidan's bed; Sakura was winning, but their conversations while playing this innocent game were always philosophical and surprisingly intelligent, coming from a man who got a kick out of stabbing himself.

"I didn't have any **prejudice** towards you," Hidan admitted with a wry grin, "Not even when you first came here."

Sakura laughed slightly. "That's a nice way to put it," she teased, "That I _came_ here. If I remember correctly, Deidara caught me."

The shogi board fell off the bed and the pieces scattered in all directions as Hidan moved in front of Sakura to cup her chin and kiss her passionately. "Thank Jashin he did," he growled against her lips, "You're fucking amazing."

**Nurse**

The expression on Sakura's face when Hidan gave her her personal **nurse** outfit for their enjoyment would forever burned into his memory. That, and the gigantic bruise she left on his arm when she punched him for laughing.

**Prize**

"I'm not your **prize**," Sakura snarled at his back, seeing as he had slung her over his shoulder when she would not leave the kitchen voluntarily.

"Oh yes you are," Hidan replied flippantly, sending her a wicked grin over his shoulder and squeezing her backside with that large hand of his, "Deidara may have finally caught you, but he _gave_ you to me."

**Resolve**

It was time.

The inevitable moment.

It was her choice, Hidan had said quietly.

Konoha.

Hidan.

But as Sakura watched him slowly walk away from her, she **resolved** that she wanted him AND Konoha.

"You have a choice too, Hidan."

The blond haired man had stopped dead in her tracks, his dangerous scythe moving slightly against his shoulder in the harsh wind. "W-what?" he said hoarsely, his back still towards her.

"Hidan," Sakura tried again, running over to him and grabbing his broad shoulders, forcing the man to look down at her, "I love you. We could be happy, together. In Konoha. No more missions for Pein. Just you and me. I can do that, I can promise you that."

"I'm sorry... Sakura," Hidan said, leaning down and ghosting his lips over hers for one last time before disappearing out of her grasp.

But not for forever.

**-**

**Well, I seem to be ending with sad scenes! Sorry, it just turned out that way for this chapter and the last one! I'll make sure that the next one is happier! And the next one is...Sakura and Pein for Gothic Petals!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: "Dauntless"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: The relationship of Sakura and Pein for Gothic Petals.**

**-**

**Alternatives**

"There are **alternatives**," Pein had told her silkily. Despite his soft tone, she shuddered.

"Like killing me?" she suggested hopefully, though inwardly she was sick to her stomach with anxiety and confusion.

"No." His eyes glazed in the darkness, "No, Tsunade's Apprentice, no. If you refuse to join, we'll have to... find some way to convince you." And then he kissed her, flush on the lips.

**Courage**

_**Courage**_, Sakura recited in her head as she stared at Pein's shadow as its owner slowly made his way down the dungeon corridor to her cell, _Courage is what fuels shinobi. Without courage they are nothing._

**Cruel**

When Sakura had finally seen the extent of Pein's **cruelty** against his enemies, she had vowed to never be coerced onto his side. But he turned out to be subtle and convincing, and soon enough, her view of right from wrong began to blur.

**Replacement**

When Sakura finally found the nerve to ask what she was to him, Pein had only answered, "You're her **replacement.**"

She knew he was speaking of his late lover, Konan.

And right now, Sakura wished the woman was still alive.

**Ask**

"All you have to do is **ask** for your freedom, and I'll give it to you."

Sakura had been floored. "All I have to do... is ask?" she said skeptically, but his red eyes were unreadable.

"Tell me you don't want to stay with me, _mean_ it, and I'll let you free."

Despite her head screaming at her to say it, she remained silent. _Kami_, she thought in despair, _I've fallen for my enemy._

**Discretion**

Sakura sat in her cell room, staring at the crack in the stone she had managed to make before Pein had ordered her chakra bound. Now she felt woozy and weak from the lack of energy flowing throughout her body. Her mind, however, was running thousands of miles per minute.

_"I ask for your __**discretion**__,"_ the man with the piercing had told her quietly, his red eyes hypnotic in a way that Sasuke's never were, "I will let you go, little bird. I can't cage you."

**Opportunity**

_As soon as I get the __**opportunity**__, _Sakura thought angrily, whipping her hair out of her face and securing it with a strip of leather, _I'm outta here_.

Her gaze fell down to the immobile man lying next to her feet, his red eyes glaring up at her angrily despite the paralysis she forced upon him.

-

**Sakura and Pein was a very odd pairing for me to write about, almost as awkward as it was for Sakura and Shino. I apologize if it seems like the relationship was a forced one, but that's how I think of it. I dunno, they would be cute together if Pein was in his twenties, but in the manga, I don't see it happening. Nothing against those proSakuPein fans, of course!**

**Up next: Sakura and Itachi!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: "Dauntless XII"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: Itachi and Sakura now!**

**-MANGA SPOILERS-**

**-**

**Competence**

He smirked at her. "Your **competence** is astounding." Sarcasm.

Sakura, curled up in the corner of her cell, didn't even turn to look at him.

"But of course, if you choose to continue this childish sulking..."

_Final straw._ She got to her feet and spun around to face him brashly. "You call my sulking childish, but have you realized that _you're_ the childish one here? Keeping me only for a hostage so Naruto would come rescue me is a stupid plan because it will never work! You're childish because you have no idea what you're up against, and you're far more immature than me for thinking that nothing can harm you! Well, oh mighty Uchiha, you're wrong!"They had glared at each other for several moments, but when Kisame made his own drunken entrance muttering something about the plumping not working, the moment was gone because Sakura found it in her best interest to retreat further into the shadows.

**Hazard**

After what felt like a year of withering away in that musty cell of hers, Itachi deemed it reasonable to allow her to wander around the house. He wasn't stupid; there was some kind of chakra networked into the ground below. He could _feel_ her every movement, but what he didn't know was that Sakura knew.

"That's what you get for underestimating me," she whispered hotly as she used her chakra to disrupt Itachi's safety net ever so subtly, hoping Itachi was asleep so the change in pattern of his chakra would not register consciously, "I'm more of a **hazard** than you thought, you patronizing son of a bitch!"

**Faint**

When Sakura was close enough to him, she swore she smelled the **faint** odor of the surrounding wilderness; smoky and damp like the trees, and the earthy smell of dirt and mud. But despite his scent, Itachi was immaculate, long black hair still damp from his shower. When he leaned across the small table to brush his lips against hers, Sakura realized that she would miss him terribly when the time came for them to part ways.

**Appropriate**

Itachi was clever, she would give him that. The night after he had first kissed her, he found a way to embarrass the hell out of her.

Sakura barely had time to fling the covers back and stretch languidly before Kisame burst into her room, his mouth full of sharp teeth wide open to say something-

It was then that the ex-Mist-nin realized that she was wearing only a bra and panties that left nothing to the imagination, and whatever he had been about to inform her of was lost as he stared.

Sakura growled and pulled the covers up to cover herself.

Itachi entered the room behind the gaping Kisame and said, "Haruno, you should really wear more **appropriate** bed clothing," he said, a dark, amused glint in his normally impassive eyes, "Besides, we have a mission. Kisame was just about to inform you of it." His dark eyes lingered on her body for a few painful seconds.

Then the elder Uchiha turned around and stalked out of the room, leaving Kisame and Sakura - both slightly red - staring after him.

**Reason**

Sakura was escaping. The Akatsuki base was miles behind her, but she couldn't slow her pace, not yet. And she wasn't stupid enough to think that she wouldn't be pursued. But how was she going to get away? Itachi Uchiha was a sneaky bastard, smarter and more cunning than two Shikamaru's. And he was _dangerous._ Frankly, Sakura wanted to make it back to Konoha alive without pushing that arrogant man off the deep end when he was so obviously insane already.

But when she was stopped by not one Itachi, but five that created a loose circle around her, Sakura had no choice but to lay her kunai down as a sign of peace and grimly wait for whatever fate he had in store for her.

"Give me a **reason** to stay," Sakura said shakily, "Give me a reason to betray both my friends and Konoha!"

Itachi only stared at her impassively, but she knew the man well enough to know that behind that blank facade he was pondering her question and all its possibilities. He didn't say anything for many long moments, and after it was clear he wasn't going to think of anything anytime fast, Sakura turned her attention away from the real missing-nin to inspect his clones warily.

"Information," he said finally, looking so tired and weary that Sakura's steely resolve weakened, "That can save my brother."

**Mend**

She was mending her torn shirt - courtesy of sparring with Kisame and Samehada - when Itachi ambled in to common room and threw an article of clothing at her. Her reflexes allowed her to catch it without looking up, but when she realized what she was holding, Sakura growled and threw the shirt back at Itachi. He let it flow to the floor, his iron gaze fixed on hers. "**Mend **it," he ordered, leaving no room for argument.

But Sakura wasn't like most of the shinobi who cowered in his presence. "No."

**Ignorant**

It was when she saw the members of Akatsuki eating dinner together, teasing each other and just having a good time in each others company that Sakura realized how **ignorant** she really had been to believe that they were all monsters.

**Attack**

Sakura knew it was pointless to **attack** Uchiha Itachi. Not if you wanted to survive the encounter, anyway. Better to surrender now and fight another day, right? But when Itachi divulged the history of Madara and the Uchiha Clan to her in return for her skills as a medic, Sakura couldn't help but fly at him in rage. "You couldn't stop it? You call _that_ loyalty to Konoha? What about your brother? Sasuke, dammit! You _killed_ him that day! You made his existence miserable! All he knew was revenge!"

Itachi merely evaded her swing and tucked her arm underneath his, trapping her. "He has you, whether or not he is too foolish to realize what he has," he murmured to her, his long, straight nose gently nuzzling the side of her neck. "Forget about my brother for now, Haruno. He will soon understand that what I did, I did for him."

Sakura sighed softly in pleasure, forgetting all about Sasuke for the time being. Right now it was just her and Itachi, and from the gentle way he held her and brushed his lips against her skin, she knew he would never intentionally hurt her.

**-**

**Another favorite pairing of mine... Hey, at least I was right about Itachi being a good-guy, deep deep DEEP DEEP down behind that stupid facade of his... Haha, anyway... Enjoy!**

**For the last snippet, my inspiration was from a fortune cookie, haha! It read: "You believe in the goodness of mankind."**


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: "Dauntless XIII"**

**Author: JackieLupin**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it. **

**Rating: M, for sexual references**

**Summary: Gaara and Sakura now!**

**-**

**Landlord**

May Kami save that poor **landlord**who accidentally walked in on her changing; faced with both Gaara's deadly sand _and_ a rare glimpse of the fury that was pasted on her face, the civilian promptly curled up into a fetal position and wept for his life. After apologizing profusely to the pink-haired woman, the landlord fled the area.

**Presence**

When she was a genin, Gaara's mere **presence** had frightened her. When she was a chuunin on a mission to save him, his presencewas a relief. But five years later, when Sakura had blossomed from a giggly girl to a confident woman, his masculine presenceonly made her want more. Two days and a pint of ice cream later, she admitted to herself that she wanted _him._

**Restrict**

Sakura gaped at the red haired man standing in front of her so calmly, torn between fury and shock. "What?"

Gaara's eyes blazed into her own. "You heard me, Haruno. I said, as a guest of Suna, you are **restricted** from leaving this village until such time as your ambassadorial requirements are met. Don't look at me like that; this is for your own safety."

Nope. Wrong answer. "You think I can't take care of myself, Kazekage-sama?" Her voice dangerously level and calm, though her eyes were glinting furiously in her heart-shaped face.

The Kazekage wasn't scared in the least, though if Sakura had been looking at Naruto the same way, the blond would have been looking for cover. "You're a jounin, you've proven yourself more than capable." He stepped around the desk slowly and carefully, as though he were a predator trying to get closer without scaring his prey off, "Besides... I want you to myself. And the name is Gaara."

He wrapped his arms around her small frame and oh so gently brushed his lips against hers.

Her anger melted away in seconds.

**Limit**

Sakura was pushed to her **limit** in patience the day Gaara marched into her small office while she had been treating a jounin around her age and dragged her out. His defense: the jounin had been looking at her the wrong way.

**Allies**

"I hope we're **allies**," Gaara said softly, his jade eyes inscrutable.

She smiled nervously, flicking a lock of pink hair out of her eyes. "Well, yes, Kazekage-sama. Konoha and Suna are allies."

His voice was very husky when he next spoke. "Not Konoha and Suna. You. And me."

**Amends**

"Gaara?" she began softly as she tiptoed into his office, wondering why the lights were off at midday. The Kazekage, much like Tsunade-sama back in Konoha, would be _swamped_ with paperwork at this time of day. So where was he?

"Haruno."

Sakura whirled around, startled. She was silent for a moment, wondering how she would apologize... "Ah, I'm sorry, Gaara..."

"For what?" He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him nonchalantly.

She looked at the floor. "I... I'd like to make **amends**. I'm sorry for disagreeing with you in front of your Council. I unintentionally undermined your authority, and I am truly very sorry." There, she had apologized!

A soft touch to her chin made her look up. Gaara was peering down at her face, a confused expression in his eyes. "Sakura," he murmured, leaning down to nuzzle against her cheek, "Don't be sorry. I need more people to say what they mean instead of what they think I want to hear. Being a Kage to a hidden village isn't about one man or woman ruling alone."

"So you weren't angry?"

"No. It was amusing watching you fumble in here."

_Smack!_

"Gaara!"

**Fossil**

In Gaara's office sat a **fossil** embedded in rock, such a simple thing. A small shell was imprinted on the rock, the fine lines and outline simple and ordinary. But the meaning of the fossil made it special. When Sakura asked, the Kazekage merely replied, "There used to be an ocean covering all of our land. It's proof that everything changes."

**Damp**

He slowly ran his fingers through her **damp** hair as if entranced by the drops of water that gently slid over his palm.

**-**

**Kami I love this pairing. Hope you enjoyed! Sorry, right now, The Mission From Hell is my priority. Two chapters left, and then I will take on some more projects!**

**Dauntless will probably remain a "once in a while" place to post my muses. Of course they revolve around my favorite character, Sakura, but I'm sorry if I don't get all the requests done. I'll try my best, please bear with me :)**


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